


Bystanders

by kyochisas



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School
Genre: (still not over it), During DR3, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, fuck man Koichi deserved so much better, post episode 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 03:01:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8186875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyochisas/pseuds/kyochisas
Summary: You can pry Kizajin from my cold, dead hands. I just want them to be together and happy, even if it's in the magical movie theatre in the sky.
Also Jin is a good dad even if he made mistakes and I love him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> You can pry Kizajin from my cold, dead hands. I just want them to be together and happy, even if it's in the magical movie theatre in the sky.
> 
> Also Jin is a good dad even if he made mistakes and I love him.

All was quiet in the theatre.

As the film reel hummed above him as it showed the events on screen for him to see, no one said a word. Mostly because they were all asleep. Well, almost all of them.

Koichi sat with his feet on the chair in front of him, popcorn resting in the seat next to him. He was tired, yes, but didn't have the motivation to sleep. Maybe if he had a drink he could pass out, but that wouldn't be wise. Not if he was found in the morning and told off again, just like the night before and the night before that. ...This despair induced insomnia was a pain to deal with.

A creak. Koichi turned, his one working eye following the shadow up to the silhouette stood in the doorway of the viewing box. A smile played as his lips as he recognised the form almost immediately.  
“Can't sleep either, eh?”  
Jin gave a grunt in response, slowly making his way down the stairs, clearly grumpy from sleep, or lack thereof. The former headmaster sat down beside Koichi, a light frown on his face. Dark circles under his eyes were prominent, and his hair was matted and messy, as if he’d been tossing and turning for hours. Which he probably was.  
“...You OK?”  
The tone of concern made Jin glance over to the man sitting next to him. “...Not really.”  
“Nightmares?”  
He gave a nod in response, lacking the energy to do anything else. The former talent scout sighed quietly.  
“Yeah… same.” He glanced away, down to the flask in his left hand, the cap open. He took a quick swig, wiping his mouth before continuing. “...You’re worried about her, right?”  
Jin paused, almost hesitating, before nodding again, his tired voice cracking as he attempted to speak. “I just… she didn't deserve any of this. Any of this killing. If only-”  
“Don't blame yourself again, Jin, it's not your fault-”  
“But it is. If I hadn't tried to deny fate, I…” The headmaster that normally spoke so confidently crumbled under the weight of his own words, shaking slightly, with a posture usually so proud now slumped as he sat in his seat. “I could've… been a better dad to her…”  
Koichi fell silent as he watched his friend shaking, before finally he slumped down, crying like a small child lost in the woods. ...Jin was, in a way, lost - lost in the afterlife where he wasn't the one in control, lost in his own emotions and a past catching up way too fast.  
“Kyouko… she's grown into such a strong young woman.” There was a bitter smile on the former headmaster’s face, hard to see in the dim lights of the theatre, but it was there for sure. “...She was always independent, so I suppose… whether I’d been there or not, she would have acted the way she did. Maybe… she never needed me.”  
This must have been plaguing him for forever… the former talent scout stared for a moment, before moving his good hand to the other man’s shoulder, hoping it would offer some kind of comfort. All he got was a glance up in response, deep purple eyes that were normally so strong now so musty and tired - it almost hurt to see. “Listen… Kyouko-chan isn't heartless… she's thinking of you, at least somewhat. She always was, I’d wager.”  
Jin fell silent aside from loose sniffles, wiping his face with the back of his hand (which was still burned and bruised to the bone, even after all this time), and though he said nothing it was clear he was confused. So Koichi continued.  
“Why else would she offer herself up on a silver platter to the academy? You know better than anyone that’s a death sentence to detectives like yourselves. ...I’m willin’ to bet she wanted to talk to you. For better or worse, you were the reason.”  
“...I suppose, but-”  
“She wanted to talk to you. She told me that much.”  
“...She told you?”  
“Not directly. But her notebook said so.” A playful grin was forced as he leant back, tilting his hat back to no shadows could hide it. He felt a little weight be lifted as he saw Jin scowling slightly - that was a face he’d almost missed, despite its implications. It was better than hopeless sobbing over things he couldn't change, at least.

“...Hey, Jin.”  
Finally, the conversation had changed, and for a few minutes they had chatted about their Hope’s Peak lives before falling into silence. Though the silence wasn't as tense or awkward as before… it was more contempt silence, just the two of them sitting and thinking until Koichi started to speak again.  
“Hm?” was a tired reply, the fatigue of crying and letting the burdens he was carrying slide of his shoulders finally were getting to him, it seemed.  
“...She’s gonna be OK.”  
“I… I know. She's not a little girl anymore.”  
“...It's hard to see her as anything but, right?”  
There was a short, quiet laugh, along with a tired smile (that was nostalgic) before Jin slowly started to falter in his seat, about to fall to his right before his arm was grabbed and he was pulled to the left, head now resting on Koichi’s shoulder. He didn't say anything more, eyes now closed and still smiling as he slowly fell asleep, perhaps now until the morning when everyone else woke up, instead of trying to survive on only an hour or so. Koichi laughed slightly, as a poison-ridden arm brought his flask to his lips again and took a final swig before he put it down, sitting it in the seat on the other side. Then, he gently pulled his hat over his eyes, deciding to give sleep a shot too.

They were both woken up by a light shake from the housekeeper (self proclaimed ‘theatre owner’) who was more worried about the fact that they were going to hurt their necks rather than the fact they were sleeping practically intertwined in one another's arms.


End file.
